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Monday, December 22, 2014

Vatican City, 21 December 2014 (VIS) –
On the fourth and final Sunday of Advent, with Christmas just around
the corner, the Gospel narrates the Angel's annunciation to Mary and
the Virgin's “yes” that made possible the Incarnation, the
revelation of a mystery “enveloped in silence for eternity”.
Before this morning's Angelus prayer, Pope Francis addressed the
faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, focusing on two essential
aspects of Mary's attitude as a model to prepare for Christmas.

The first is her faith, which consists
of listening to the Word of God in order to surrender herself
entirely to it, with full willingness of both mind and heart. “In
her 'yes', full of faith, Mary does not know which road she will have
to embark upon, how much pain she will have to suffer, what risks she
will run. But she is aware that it is the Lord Who asks her to
entrust herself entirely to Him, and she surrenders herself to His
love. This is Mary's faith”.

“Another aspect is the capacity of
the Mother of Christ to recognise the time of God. Mary teaches us to
seize the favourable moment in which Jesus passes into our life and
asks for a prompt and generous response”.

“And Jesus passes”, added the Pope,
“because the mystery of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, which
historically took place more than two thousand years ago, occurs as a
spiritual event on the 'today' of the Liturgy. The Word, that finds a
home in the virginal womb of Mary, during the celebration of the
Nativity calls out to the heart of every Christian; it passes, and
knocks on the door. Each one of us is called to answer, like Mary,
with a personal and sincere 'yes', placing ourselves entirely at the
disposal of God and His mercy, His love”.

“How many times does Jesus pass into
our lives!”, he exclaimed. “And how many times he sends us an
angel, and how often we do not realise, because we are too
preoccupied, immersed in our thoughts, in our affairs and even, these
days, in our preparations for Christmas, to realise that He passes
and knocks at the door of our heart, asking for welcome, asking for a
'yes', like that of Mary”.

“A saint once said, 'I am afraid that
the Lord will pass'. Do you know why he was afraid? He was afraid he
would not welcome Him, that he would let Him pass by. When we feel in
our heart, 'I would like to be a better person', “I feel remorse
for doing that”, it is the Lord Who is calling. He makes you feel
this: the wish to be better, the wish to stay closer to others and to
God. If you feel this, then stop. It is the Lord Who is there! And
pray, perhaps go to Confession, to clean up a little … this does
you good. But keep in mind: if you feel this desire to improve, it is
He Who is calling: do not let Him pass by”.

Francis also recalled, in the mystery
of the Nativity, the silent presence of Joseph and emphasised the
example that he and Mary offer as an invitation to receive with total
openness the Lord Jesus, “who for love made Himself into our
brother, and came to bring light to the world”, as the angels
proclaimed to the shepherds: 'on earth peace, good will toward men'”.

“The precious gift of Christmas is
peace”, he concluded. “Christ, Who is our true peace, calls to
our hearts to give us peace, the peace of the soul. Let us open the
doors to Christ”.